mexican fraud

We were in mexico a year ago and paid a local artist to make a stained glass window and a copper mirror for us. We paid 500.00 american dollars and agreed to pay 1/4 more when it was finished and the other 1/4 when we received it, however we have never received anything. We have been in touch with the US consulate in Mexico and she has been trying to help us, but she has stopped emailing us. Who can we contact to get help? We have seen the items per email and know they have been made. Any help you could give us, we would appreciate. Thank You.

[Quién Soy Yo?]

You should have a conversation (verbally or in writing) with the staff at the PROFECO (Procuraduría Federal del Consumidor) office in the community in which this dispute has taken place. While much of the government in Mexico is ineffective and useless, my own experience has been that PROFECO has a good track record of resolving disuptes consumers have with providers.

PROFECO Website

Filing Complaints with PROFECO

PROFECO Office Locations

The website is in Spanish. Obviously, if you don't have the ability to read it you should seek the assistance of someone who can. If you telephone the PROFECO office you might want to say, "No hablo Español. Tiene alguen en la officina puede hablar en Ingles?" (if i've stated the coveration incorrectly, someone reading this will correct me, I'm certain!)

Best of luck resolving your dispute.

Thank you for your reply. I was given this address from the consulate and have sent them 2 emails but they will not respond to me by email, so I contacted the consulate again and she has not responded. I am willing to send the money to the consulate or this other department and have them ship the articles to me, if they can retreive them from the people we purchased them from. I feel my hands are tied as i cannot get back to Mexico right now with my job. I will continue to try and reach this other department and see if I can get someone to help translate some spanish. Thank you for your reply and I will let you know if I have any success.

[Quién Soy Yo?]

Look, if you're seriously interested in resolving the issue . . . contact PROFECO preferably in person, or, secondarily, by telephone. You'll also have to recognize that things in Mexico move slower than you may be used to back home. Give the people some time to process your complaint - yours is not the only one they have in front of them. the US Consulate has limited ability to help in this situation and I think you're expecting too much from them. If the issue is important to you, maybe you should get in your car, or hop aboard an airplane, and head to where the dispute is centered. Best of luck.